Multi-layer structural representation of polymer/particle interphase region based on De Gennes’s scaling theory

In this study, the polymer/particle interphase region, formed around dispersed and clustered nanoparticles, was represented and evaluated using a novel multi-layer structural model. The physical/mechanical characteristics of each layer were determined by a developed form of De Gennes’s scaling theory. The time-dependent creep behavior of the interphase region was studied by incorporating Burger viscoelastic model into a specifically designed equivalent box model (EBM) with a layered structure. The content and size of clusters were estimated using a specifically developed mechanical model, based on the concept of micro-scale excluded volumes. The overall creep behavior of the polymer nanocomposites was then predicted considering the interaction of the polymer matrix, interphase region, dispersed and aggregated/agglomerated nanoparticle domains (prediction error <5%). The theoretical results were benchmarked against the actual data, obtained from creep and tensile tests, in order to verify the accuracy of the model as well as the applied primary concepts.